'Democracy is the best revenge': Rally calling for PM’s ouster concludes in Islamabad

Supporters of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) gather around a truck carrying Chairman of PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading an anti-government rally in Islamabad on March 8, 2022. (AFP)

• The march started in Karachi on February 27 and was led by opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
• It’s arrival in capital coincided with opposition parties moving no-confidence motion seeking Khan’s ouster

ISLAMABAD: A long march led by the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which rallied thousands of supporters from the city of Karachi to Islamabad to demonstrate against Prime Minister Imran Khan, concluded in the capital late on Tuesday night.
The march, which started in the southern port city of Karachi on February 27, was led by PPP co-chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and arrived on the outskirts of Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon, coinciding with Pakistani opposition parties moving a no-confidence motion in parliament to seek the ouster of Khan over accusations of poor governance and the mismanagement of the economy.
The no confidence move is the toughest challenge Khan has faced since he rose to power in 2018. His critics have widely accused that year’s general election of being rigged. Khan denies this.
“We exposed him [Khan] in front of the world from day one, that he isn’t elected but selected, and we have been struggling against him since then,” Bhutto-Zardari said while addressing the crowd at Islamabad’s D-chowk, a famous gathering point for protesters. “We feel that democracy is the best revenge and we are sending him home through a democratic way.”
“The PPP has never taken any undemocratic step .... and we are ousting the selected through a no-confidence motion.”
Just outside Islamabad, Bhutto-Zardari had warned Khan: “Resign in 24 hours and face us in an election, or be prepared for a no-confidence move.”
Hours later, the opposition submitted a formal request requiring Khan to seek a parliamentary vote of confidence. The opposition needs a simple majority of 172 and says it requires just 11 more votes to force Khan out.
Critics of Khan, a former cricket star, say he has lost the backing of the powerful military whose support they say secured the path to power for his political party four years ago. Khan and the military deny this.